Junior hockey league referee Keagen Abbott, who began his hockey career in Powell River, will be plying his skills with the big league later this summer.
The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) announced that Abbott is one of 12 on-ice officials selected to participate in the National Hockey League’s officiating exposure combine from August 14 to 17 in Buffalo, New York.
According to the BCHL, the combine is designed to give high-level officials increased development opportunities, as well as exposure to the NHL. The four-day camp consists of physical on- and off-ice testing, as well as game action.
Abbott said he has some friends who have attended the combine previously, and he understands it’s a great opportunity to showcase what he can do, and get his name out there to potentially be able to make one of the minor professional leagues one day, or even the “big league” at some point.
Abbott said there is an application process that goes out and his officiating supervisor provided the encouragement to apply for the combine.
“You put in your refereeing experiences, your experiences as a hockey player, and everything like that,” said Abbott. “You also need some references, and my boss from the BCHL is a great reference to have, as he was a 30-year NHL veteran for officiating. I was fortunate enough, this year, along with 11 others from the BCHL, to be selected.”
Abbott now lives in Courtenay, and another official from the BCHL who lives in Courtenay will be going to the combine, so he will have company.
“It’s great to be able to go to Buffalo and have some familiar faces, just for some added comfort,” said Abbott.
He said he is hoping to learn some great skills from attending the combine, with a goal of working his way toward refereeing in one of the minor professional leagues, such as the American Hockey League.
“That would be an awesome accomplishment and something I would absolutely love to do,” said Abbott. “But, even if that isn’t the case, to have an experience like this is amazing in itself. Having the opportunity to do this and to be part of something that has the NHL name on it is pretty cool.”
There is precedent for qathet region officials making the NHL. Trent Knorr is an NHL linesman, and Abbott said he knows him pretty well. He said he has received advice from Knorr.
“It’s nice to know somebody else from Powell River has made the step and that the opportunity is there,” added Abbott.
He said he has gravitated to being a referee because size-wise, he’s not a linesman.
“I came to the realization that if I want to pursue officiating as far as I can, and being able to go to this combine definitely helps me pursue officiating as a career, I am not a linesman,” said Abbott. “There are some big boys on the ice and I just don’t have the size and height to get in and break those guys up if need be. So, I’m better suited as a referee. Both positions are fun, but I like the reffing side of things.”
Abbott said there is a lot of work required to be intricately knowledgeable about the hockey rule book. He said that fortunately, most changes happen off-season, so officials don’t have to make significant adaptations mid-season.
Abbott said there is supervision in the BCHL, where staff will come out and watch games. He said if there’s something that needs to be tweaked, he gets friendly guidance.
“They try to keep us on the same page as much as possible and officiating to the same standard across the entire league,” said Abbott. “The rules can get tricky every once in a while, and that’s why there are four of us on the ice. If we need to come together and workshop it while we’re out there, you have the other voices and observations.”
Abbott got his start officiating for Powell River Minor Hockey Association when he was younger. When he started playing junior hockey, he had to give up officiating, because he had to focus on playing. When he aged out of junior hockey two years ago, he started refereeing again. He said this past season was his first full season as a referee and he loved every minute of it.
“It’s a good time out there and for me, it’s just staying connected to the game,” said Abbott. “To still be out there on the ice brings me joy. I love being at the rink and I love being on the ice. I may be wearing a different jersey, and have fewer teammates on the ice with me, but it’s still fun to be there.”
As a junior, Abbott played with Campbell River Storm, Comox Valley Glacier Kings and Kerry Park Islanders in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. He also played for the Powell River Kings during the COVID-19 shortened season and in Manitoba with the Selkirk Steelers.
Abbott now referees games for both the Vancouver Island and BCHL junior leagues. As for his August combine, he said he is really looking forward to it.
“I can’t wait for August to come around,” said Abbott.
According to Brad Lazarowich, BCHL vice president of hockey operations and head of the league’s officiating department, several of those BCHL officials who have attended the combine are already working American Hockey League games, while the others have the same high-level aspirations.
“This combine should provide them with the additional development needed to reach those goals,” stated Lazarowich in a media release. “Through our relationships with the National Hockey League, we are proud to be able to provide our officials with these types of opportunities and look forward to even greater participation in these events in the years to come.”
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